AUBURN, Ala. — Jacob Rogers just wanted to be like his brother. And, for the most part, Zac and Jacob shared a lot of similarities.
The brothers share a red-hair trait from parents Chris and Fadra Rogers. Both starred on the baseball diamond at Benjamin Russell High School — 40 miles northwest of Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alexander City, Alabama. The siblings even suited up for the Wildcat football team during high school.
But beyond that, things sort of tailed off.
Jacob grew up an Auburn fan. Zac … he followed the Gators from afar. When it came to college destinations, Jacob followed Highway 280 to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Zac headed in the opposite direction on 280 towards Tuscaloosa after signing a baseball scholarship with the Crimson Tide.
Zac spent three years on Alabama's baseball team, before opting to hang up the cleats following the 2017 season. Jacob, on the other hand, is entering his fourth year on the Auburn football team after successfully going through the team's walk-on tryout process prior to the 2016 campaign.
"It was basically more of a workout than a football tryout," Rogers says about the process. "It was really just seeing if you have the mentality and the work ethic to get through an Auburn workout.
"I remember they split everyone into groups and did this thing called 'County Fair,' where there are six stations around the field and you're doing bag drills, hoops, mat drills and a lot of other things. It was a very high intensity workout."
Rogers caught the eyes of team officials overseeing the estimated 80-person tryout.
"We were going through the last set of drills and the guy in front of me, who I played against in high school, was getting tired and started to give up, so I started trying to help him out and pick him up and said, 'Come on, I know you're better than this,'" Rogers recalls. "Behind me was someone else I knew and he was trying to do the same to me.
"We were the first three in line, so I feel like some of the coaches saw that and acknowledged that and next thing you know, we were three of the ones who made the team."
Even though Rogers, unlike so many of his collegiate teammates, was not heavily recruited out of high school, his productivity at the prep level was still enough to earn recognition.
Off the football field, Rogers was a member of Benjamin Russell's Key Club, FCA, SGA and National Honor Society. He was also named the Alabama Baseball Association Student-Athlete of the Year en route to graduating top 10 in his class.
On the football field, Rogers – serving as a team captain – concluded his senior year at Benjamin Russell with 78 tackles, 13 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions in just his second year as a starting safety under legendary Alabama high school head coach Danny Horn. The Alexander City Outlook named the 5-foot-11, 209-pound defensive back to its all-area first team. He was also part of the winningest senior class in BRHS history.
From 1989 to 2008, Horn went 225-40 at Clay County en route to winning six AHSAA state championships. He arrived at Benjamin Russell in 2009 and won 62 games over the next nine years, leading the Wildcats to the Class 6A semifinals during Rogers' senior season in 2015.
"If you're from the state of Alabama or know anything about Alabama high school football, you know the name (Danny Horn) and have probably seen him coach somewhere," Rogers says. "I've actually known him since I was seven or eight because my brother and his son (Bryant) played baseball together. So, I've always thought of him like a third dad. He's a lot like Coach (Gus) Malzahn in that he wants to run the ball and play great defense, too."
Rogers used what he learned in the high school classrooms to earn a full-tuition academic scholarship to Auburn after scoring in the "low 30s" on the ACT. Even after arriving on The Plains, he continued to show out in the classroom, earning a spot on the SEC Honor Roll each of the last three years in addition to being named an Academic Top Tiger and to the AD Honor Roll.
"School has never really been hard for me," the Goodwater, Ala., product admits. "I grew up a middle child. My older brother was good at sports, so I always tried to be better than him at school."
Rogers made his on-field debut during the final home game of the 2018 season. As the clock was winding down on the Tigers' 53-0 victory over Liberty on Nov. 17, Rogers took the field at the safety position.
With the ball on the left hash mark and 0:59 left in the fourth quarter, Liberty running back Frank Boyd took the handoff and ran behind the right side of his offensive line. Following an initial surge that kept Boyd's legs turning, Rogers came up from his position and halted any more momentum.
"The smiles on my parents' faces after that game … I know it was one of their proudest moments," Rogers said. "It was probably one of my proudest moments to be able to do that for them. That's definitely a moment I'll never forget.
"I feel like anything you want to do in life, you do it for your parents because they helped get you to where you are."
Rogers, now a business major after transitioning from engineering, grew up with a love for Auburn since he "knew what Auburn was" and wishes he could stay longer. But he also understands that everyone has to graduate eventually.
"Everyone's time comes when they have to leave this place," Rogers said. "But that's the good part about Auburn — it is a family and more than just a logo or a football field or a scoreboard. In my opinion, it's a way of life.
"'War Eagle' just means family. Yeah, we may lose some games, but Auburn will always be there for you. The Auburn Family just has a never-ending faith in Auburn, which is pretty cool."